§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations have been made to the European Community Commission regarding the need to establish a rural development agency to offset the reductions in agricultural support which are currently proposed by the European Community Commission.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonThere is already an agency, the Development Commission, to promote rural development in England; and there are similar agencies in Scotland and Wales. I am well aware of the challenge posed to farmers by the need to adjust their businesses to a reduced level of agricultural support. My Department has announced a range of policies which can help on this, including
- incentives for the planting of woodlands on farms;
- grants to encourage the diversification of farm businesses;
- the designation of environmentally sensitive areas;
- proposals for implementing a Community set-aside policy.
§ Mr. LeightonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of state support for agriculture as a percentage of the value of production in(a) the United Kingdom, (b) the EEC as a whole and what equivalent information he has about the United States of America.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonIt is difficult to make comparisons of national spending on agriculture between different countries as definitions of support vary and information on agricultural expenditure in other regions is incomplete. The most reliable statistics cover direct support for prices and incomes, although these understate the true amount of aid. In the United Kingdom and the Community direct support equates to spending under the guarantee section of the common agricultural policy, and in the United States of America to equivalent expenditure by the Federal Government. For 1986—the latest year for which comparative figures are available — the percentages requested are as follows:
per cent. (a) United Kingdom 11.4 (b) EC (12) 12.2 (c) United States of America 17.6